Method for Operating a Cableway System with a Valley Station and with at Least One Mountain Station, and Cableway System

ABSTRACT

A method for operating a cableway system, and a cableway system with a valley station and with at least one mountain station and with transportation devices which can be moved between said stations. In the stations, the transportation devices are moved along a guide rail by way of conveying means, such as conveying wheels, assigned thereto, through a first boarding and disembarking region for the passengers and, selectively, along at least one further guide rail branching off from the guide rail via at least one diverter, along which transportation devices can be moved, likewise by way of conveying means, through at least one second boarding and disembarking region. A control unit is provided, to which the outputs of sensors assigned to the boarding and disembarking regions are supplied and by way of which the diverters and the conveying means can be controlled, with the transportation devices being moved through the boarding and disembarking regions as required.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the priority, under 35 U.S.C. § 119, of Austrian patent application A 456/2007, filed Mar. 22, 2007; the prior application is herewith incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a method for operating a cableway system with a valley station and with at least one mountain station and with transportation devices which can be moved between said stations and, in these stations, can be moved along a guide rail by means of conveying means, such as conveying wheels, assigned thereto, through a first boarding and disembarking region for the passengers, with at least one further guide rail branching off from the guide rail via at least one diverter, along which transportation devices are moved, likewise by means of conveying means, through at least one second boarding and disembarking region.

Furthermore, the present invention relates to a cableway system for carrying out the afore-mentioned method.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,873,310 and European patent EP 814992 B1 disclose a cableway system, in which the stations are provided with respective guide rails and conveying means which are assigned thereto and by means of which the transportation devices are moved through the stations where the passengers embark or disembark. In the case of the prior art cableway system, a first guide rail is provided which leads through a first boarding and disembarking region and from which a second guide rail, which leads through a second boarding disembarking region, branches off by means of diverters. The transportation devices are alternately guided along these two guide rails through the two boarding and disembarking regions in which the passengers enter or leave them.

In the case of that prior art cableway system, in which the transportation devices are moved in an uninterrupted sequence into the cableway stations and are moved out therefrom, first transportation devices are moved through the first boarding and disembarking region and second transportation devices are moved through the second boarding and disembarking region. In this case, the transportation devices have to be moved at predetermined intervals of time through the two boarding and disembarking regions, since otherwise malfunctions would be caused in the operation of the cableway system. Put another way, it is not possible in the case of this known cableway system to move the individual transportation devices through the boarding and disembarking regions at different speeds or at different intervals of time and, if appropriate, to stop the transportation devices in the boarding and disembarking regions in order thereby to meet particular requirements in the transportation of the passengers.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a cableway system and an a method of operating a cableway system which overcome the above-mentioned disadvantages of the heretofore-known devices and methods of this general type and which allows the movement of the transportation devices through the boarding and disembarking regions to take place in any desired manner corresponding to the particular requirements. The object is to avoid any stress to the passengers as they enter and leave the transportation devices.

With the foregoing and other objects in view there is provided, in accordance with the invention, a method of operating a cableway system with terminal stations, such as a valley station and at least one mountain station, and with transportation devices for movement between the stations. The method which comprises:

moving the transportation devices in the stations with conveying means, such as conveying wheels, along a first guide rail through a first boarding and disembarking region for the passengers;

selectively moving the transportation devices with conveying means, such as conveying wheels, along at least one second guide rail branching off from the first guide rail via at least one diverter through at least one second boarding and disembarking region;

outputting sensor signals of a plurality of sensors disposed in the boarding and disembarking regions to a control unit, and controlling the at least one diverter and the conveying means with the control unit to selectively move the transportation devices through the first and second boarding and disembarking regions as required.

In other words, the objects of the invention are achieved with a control unit, to which the outputs of sensors assigned to the boarding and disembarking regions are laid and by means of which the diverters and the conveying means can be controlled, with the transportation devices being moved through the boarding and disembarking regions as required.

At least three boarding and disembarking regions are preferably provided, through which the transportation devices can alternatively be moved along guide rails. Furthermore, access barriers assigned to the boarding and disembarking regions are preferably also controlled by the control unit. In addition, the access barriers are each assigned sensors, the output signals of which are likewise transmitted to the control unit.

With the above and other objects in view there is also provided, in accordance with the invention, cableway system with a valley station and at least one mountain station, comprising:

a plurality of transportation devices to be moved between the stations and through the stations;

first and second boarding and disembarking regions for passengers formed in the stations;

a first guide rail and associated conveying means for moving the transportation devices through said first boarding and disembarking region for the passengers;

at least one further guide rail branching off from said first guide rail via at least one diverter, for movement of said transportation devices, by way of conveying means, through said second boarding and disembarking region;

a plurality of sensors disposed in said boarding and disembarking regions; and

a control unit connected to receive output signals from said sensors and configured to control said diverter and said conveying means can be controlled.

In the case of a cableway system according to the invention with a valley station and with at least one mountain station, transportation devices are provided which can be moved between said stations and, in these stations, can be moved along a guide rail, by means of conveying means assigned thereto, through a first boarding and disembarking region for the passengers, with at least one further guide rail branching off from the guide rail via at least one diverter, along which transportation devices can be moved, likewise by means of conveying means, through at least one second boarding and disembarking region, with a control unit being provided, to which the outputs of sensors assigned to the boarding and disembarking regions are laid and by means of which the diverters and the conveying means can be controlled.

In this case, the boarding and disembarking regions are preferably each assigned access barriers which are controlled by the control unit. Furthermore, the access barriers are preferably each assigned sensors, the output signals of which are likewise transmitted to the control unit.

The method according to the invention for operating a cableway system and a cableway system according to the invention are explained in more detail below with reference to an exemplary embodiment which is illustrated in the drawing.

Other features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims.

Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in method for operating a cableway system with a valley station and with at least one mountain station, a cableway system, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.

The construction and method of operation of the invention, however, together with additional objects and advantages thereof will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The FIGURE is a schematic view of a terminal station of a cableway system according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now the sole FIGURE of the drawing in detail, the cableway station has a deflecting pulley 10 via which a supporting and conveying cable 1 is guided. That strand 1 a of the supporting and conveying cable 1 which runs into the station moves chairs 2 into the station and that strand 1 b which runs out of the station moves chairs 2 out of the station. The strand 1 a of the supporting and conveying cable 1 is adjoined by a guide rail 3 along which the chairs 2, which are decoupled from the supporting and conveying cable 1, continue to be moved in the station. The guide rail 3 is assigned deceleration wheels (for braking the transport device from the conveying speed of the conveying cable 1 to the transport speed inside the station) and also conveying wheels.

The guide rail 3—here referred to as a first guide rail 3—is adjoined by further, or second, guide rails 31, 32, 33 and 34 which are connected to the first guide rail 3 via diverters 41, 41 a, 41 b; 42, 42 a; 43, 43 a, 43 b; 44, 44 a. The diverters 41 to 44 a are assigned servomotors 51, 51 a, 51 b; 52, 52 a; 53, 53 a, 53 b; 54, 54 a by means of which said diverters can be adjusted into their operating position and out of the same. The chairs 2 are moved along these further guide rails 31 to 34 to a guide rail 3 a which is assigned to that strand 1 b of the supporting and conveying cable 1 which runs out of the station and to which acceleration wheels (for increasing the speed of the transport device from the conveying speed within the station to the speed of the conveying cable 1) are assigned.

All of the guide rails 31 to 34 are assigned conveying wheels by means of which the chairs 2 are moved along these guide rails 31 to 34 through the station, they being moved through boarding and disembarking regions 61, 62, 63 and 64 in which the passengers can enter and leave them. The boarding and disembarking regions 61 to 64 are each assigned sensors 71, 72, 73 and 74 by means of which the operating states of the chairs 2 located in the boarding and disembarking regions 61 to 64 are detected, namely whether the closing bar of a chair 2 has been adjusted into its closed position. Furthermore, the boarding and disembarking regions 61 to 64 are assigned access barriers 81 to 84 which are provided with sensors 91 to 94 by means of which the skiers moving to the access barriers 81 to 84 are detected.

The system located in the stations is furthermore assigned a control unit 7 to which the output signals of the sensors 71 to 74 and of the sensors 91 to 94 are passed and by means of which, furthermore, the diverters 41 to 44 a are controlled and by means of which the servomotors 51 to 54 b and the access barriers 81 to 84 are controlled.

The functionality of the system and its operation may be summarized as follows: As soon as a chair 2 enters the station, it is decoupled from the supporting and conveying cable 1 and passes onto the first guide rail 3, along which its speed is decelerated to approximately 1 m/sec. It continues to be moved along the first guide rail 3 to one of the adjoining guide rails 31 to 34. In the process, the diverters 41 to 44 a are controlled in such a manner that said chair 2 is moved toward one of the boarding and disembarking regions 61 to 64 in which there is no chair 2 or one which is free for the further chair 2 until the latter arrives. Passengers enter and leave said chair 2 in this boarding and disembarking region. As soon as said chair 2 is ready for departure, a release signal is output to the control unit 7 by the sensor provided in said boarding and disembarking region.

In this manner, the operating states of the chairs 2 located in all of the boarding and disembarking regions 61 to 64 and, furthermore, the operating positions of the diverters 41 to 44 a are detected by the control unit 7. The conveying wheels assigned to the guide rails and, furthermore, the diverters 41 to 44 a and, in addition, the access barriers 81 to 84 are controlled by the control unit 7 as a function of the operating states of the individual chairs 2 located in the boarding and disembarking regions 61 to 64 in such a manner that chairs 2 are moved consecutively toward the guide rail 3 a, said chairs being accelerated along said guide rail 3 a and, as a result, being coupled at the required distances to that strand 1 b of the supporting and conveying cable 1 which moves out of the station, as a result of which said chairs are conveyed out of the station.

The following operating sequence arises with regard to the position of the diverters and of the transportation devices that is illustrated in FIG. 1:

As soon as, for example, the chair 2 located in the boarding and disembarking region 61 is occupied and the closing bar is closed, a release signal is output by the sensor 71 to the control unit 7. As a result, said chair 2 is moved along the guide rail 31 via the diverters 41 a and 41 b toward the guide rail 3 a, along which it is accelerated, whereupon it is coupled to that strand 1 b of the supporting and conveying cable 1 which leads out of the station and moves out of the station.

If the diverter 41 is not in its operating position, it is adjusted into its operating position. Furthermore, the diverter 42 is adjusted out of its operating position, and therefore a further chair 2, which is located at this time on the guide rail 31, can be conveyed via the diverter 41 along the guide rail 31 into the boarding and disembarking region 61, in which skiers can enter it. During the same period of time, skiers enter the boarding region 62 and, in this region, a chair 2 is moved at a speed of 1 m/sec from behind up to the skiers, as a result of which they can sit on the chair 2. As soon as a release signal is output to the control unit 7 by the sensors 72 located in the boarding region 62, the diverter 41 is switched over into its operating position, whereupon the chair 2 is moved along the guide rail 31 and, via the diverter 41 b, to the guide rail 3 a, along which it is conveyed to the exit. Furthermore, a signal is output to the control unit 7 by the sensor 72 assigned to the boarding and disembarking region 62 to the effect that the boarding and disembarking region 62 is available for a further chair 2.

The access barriers 81 and 82 are opened and closed by the control unit 7. The skiers moving to the access barriers 81 and 82 are detected by the sensors 91 and 92.

In an analogous manner, chairs 62 are also supplied to the boarding and disembarking regions 63 and 64, in each case as required, control signals are output to the control unit 7 by the sensors 73 and 74 assigned to said boarding and disembarking regions, the diverters 43, 43 a and 43 b and also 44 and 44 a and the access barriers 83 and 84 are controlled by the control unit 7, and respective signals are output to the control unit 7 by the sensors 93 and 94.

Instead of the conveying wheels, other conveying means, such as, for example, conveying chains, may also be provided. It will be understood that a cableway system of this type can be operated in an identical manner with gondolas or with chairs. 

1. A method of operating a cableway system with a valley station, with at least one mountain station, and with transportation devices for movement between the stations, the method which comprises: moving the transportation devices in the stations with conveying means along a first guide rail through a first boarding and disembarking region for the passengers; selectively moving the transportation devices with conveying means along at least one second guide rail branching off from the first guide rail via at least one diverter through at least one second boarding and disembarking region; outputting sensor signals of a plurality of sensors disposed in the boarding and disembarking regions to a control unit, and controlling the at least one diverter and the conveying means with the control unit to selectively move the transportation devices through the first and second boarding and disembarking regions as required.
 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the conveying means are conveying wheels.
 3. The method according to claim 1, which comprises selectively and alternatively moving the transportation devices through at least three boarding and disembarking regions along guide rails.
 4. The method according to claim 1, which comprises controlling access barriers assigned to the boarding and disembarking regions by way of the control unit.
 5. The method according to claim 4, which comprises assigning sensors to the access barriers and transmitting output signals of the sensors to the control unit.
 6. A cableway system with a valley station and at least one mountain station, comprising: a plurality of transportation devices to be moved between the stations and through the stations; first and second boarding and disembarking regions for passengers formed in the stations; a first guide rail and associated conveying means for moving the transportation devices through said first boarding and disembarking region for the passengers; at least one further guide rail branching off from said first guide rail via at least one diverter, for movement of said transportation devices, by way of conveying means, through said second boarding and disembarking region; a plurality of sensors disposed in said boarding and disembarking regions; and a control unit connected to receive output signals from said sensors and configured to control said diverter and said conveying means can be controlled.
 7. The cableway system according to claim 6, wherein said second boarding and disembarking region is one of a plurality of further boarding and disembarking regions and said at least one diverter is one of a corresponding plurality of diverters.
 8. The cableway system according to claim 6, which comprises access barriers assigned to said boarding and disembarking regions and controlled by said control unit.
 9. The cableway system according to claim 8, which comprises a plurality of sensors respectively assigned to said access barriers and outputting sensor signals for transmission to said control unit. 